With summer fast approaching, why not use the downtime to give your outboard a once over?

Chances are you’ve been stuck on a boat ramp at least once in your life with an outboard that simply won’t start. Or if you’ve been lucky enough to avoid it, you’re sure to have seem someone endlessly pulling that starter cord to no avail. Depending on the age of your outboard, there are some really simple things you can do to get her running on the first pull, every time. Here’s some tips!

Disclaimer: If you’re not an outboard mechanic yourself, find someone who is. Some things just can’t be fixed without the right tools and know-how.

Outboard Motor Tips

Flush your engine, every time you use it. Not just a quick 1 minute flush with the rabbit ears either, let the hose flush through your motor while it runs at idle for 10 minutes at least. (If you don’t know what ‘Rabbit Ears’ are, you definitely need to go visit an outboard mechanic).

When you’re shutting down the motor for the last time, don’t just press the kill switch. Disconnect the fuel hose and let the motor use up all the fuel in the carburetor. This prevents old fuel from sitting around inside the motor for weeks, even months before next use.

Never use old fuel. Fuel has a use by date of around 60 days, so if you’ve got half a tank left from last summer. Don’t be a tight-arse and throw out the $20 worth of fuel (responsibly!). Throwing out old fuel also drains the tank of water, which isn’t good for engines. Use fresh fuel, always.

Open up the engine cover and check it all. Look for corrosion, lose covers, oil leaks etc. If it doesn’t look right, clean it, fix it or take it to someone who can. Spraying everything with a liberal amount of WD-40 will do wonders for keeping out salty air and water too.

When was the last time you had new spark plugs? Spark plugs have a life, and if your engine is more than a few years old, chances are it needs a new set. Replace them yourself by removing the ignition leads on top of the old ones, unscrew them with a spark plug socket, buy a new set and screw them in. Replace the ignition leads and away you go! While you’re buying the replacements, buy a spare spark plug socket and a set of plugs. Keep them in the boat, just in case.

Replace fuel lines regularly. If your boat sits out in the open, UV damage will be attacking your fuel lines (and tank, and everything else). Cracked lines make smelly boats, and allow water to be ingested into the lines. Same goes for the primer bulb too.

Above all, when your motor doesn’t start remember this simple rule. Outboards require three things to start. Air. Fuel. Spark. It will have air (or you’ve got bigger problems). Give it fresh fuel, check the spark plugs. Don’t just keep pulling that starter cord and hoping!

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